bartlett



No. 6|3,552. Patented Nov. I, I898. 0. H. BARTLETT.

APPARATUS FOR MIXING TEA.

(Application filed Dec. 22, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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I /gig No. 6|3,552. Patented Nov. I, I898. c. H. BARTLETT.

APPARATUS FOR MIXING TEA.

(Application filed 12m 22, 1897.)

(No Model.) R 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Tans

NHE in APPARATUS FOR MIXING TEA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,552, dated November 1, 1898.

Application filed December 22, 1897-. Serial No. 663,010. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HENRY BART- LETT, weighing-machine manufacturer, of 2 and 3 Welsh Back, Bristol, in the county of Gloucester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing Tea, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, dated May 23, 1895, No. 10,233,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus designed for mixing or blending teas; and the invention has reference more especially to that class of apparatus which is self-discharging through an axial aperture in the end of the mixing-drum.

My present invention consists in mounting the discharge-chute permanently in position Within the front trunnion of the drum, into which it projects a distance sufficient to receive the tea from the mixing and discharging pallets, the chute projecting outwardly as far as may be required to deliver the tea, the chute being carried, preferably, by a circular plate fitting the aperture of the trunnion, but prevented from turning with the drum. The inwardly-projecting or receiving part of the chute is provided with a sliding cover or hood for preventing the delivery of tea to the chute while the mixing is in progress. The drum is provided with internal helical blades whereby the tea is brought to cups or converging chutes at the front end, which deliver the tea gently to the discharging-chute. So long as the hood remains closed the tea deposited thereon falls back onto one or more helical conveyers of reverse twist to that of the blades, whereby the tea is returned to the back end of the drum. 7

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a cross-section, and Fig. 2 a perspective view looking toward the front or discharge end of the drum. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation, and Fig. 4. a vertical section through the discharge-trough.

A is the drum, supported by its end trunnions A A (the front one resting on hearingrollers) and slowly rotated by any suitable means, and B are the helical mixing-blades, (say four, more or less, in nu1nber,) fixed to the periphery of the drum and extending from the back nearly to the front end thereof, the pitchof the helix being about equal to, say,

four times the length of the drum, so that,

each blade 13 extends over about one-fourth the circumference of the drum. The blades are not normal to the drum in the direction of their width, but make therewith an acute angle on their leading or advancing side, as shown, the inner edge of the blade having a forwardly-turned lip b, as shown. Each blade 13 terminates at one side and at the outermost end of a chute or cup 0, these cups G converg= ing more or less radially inward and terminating at such a point that in revolving with the drum' their inner ends will pass clear around the inwardly-projecting part of the stationary discharge-chute D. This chute is fixed permanently in position in a disk E, filling the aperture of the front trunnion A and making a sufficiently tight joint therewith by means of a gland. This disk E and chute D are held stationary by. an outside bracket F. The chute D projects within the drum for about half the length of the chute or to a distance equal to the width of the radial chutes or cups 0, so as to receive the tea therefrom when this part of the chute is uncovered. During the mixing operation it is covered by the hood H, which is preferably of gable shape, so as not to allow of the tea lodging thereon, this hood being fitted to slide upon the edges of the chute D and through the correspondingly-shaped aperture in thedisk E when it is drawn forward to uncover the. inwardly-projecting part of the chute. The cover might be a fiat plate; but in that case some tea would lodge thereon, which is a slight disadvantage. This gable-shaped hood is closed at the inner end to prevent es cape of dust by abutting against a correspondingly-shaped lip D, projecting up from the end of the chute. G is a helical blade Within the drum, of reverse twist to the blades B and extending, like the latter, from a cup 0, to which it is attached, to the back end of the drum. Only one such reverse blade G is shown to avoid confusion; but two would generally be used. They are not in contact with the periphery of the drum,(except at the rear end,) but at some distance therefrom, and they serve the purpose during the mixing operation of circulating the tea toward the back end of the drum, so that it shall not accumulate at the front end by being continually brought forward by the blades B and delivered by the cups 0 onto the hood covering the chute.

As in a flowing stream of tea there is a tendency for the finer particles to sink to the bottom and lag behind the larger particles, which run more freely on the surface of the stream, the larger particles would tend to be discharged before the smaller particles, thus neutralizing to some extent the etliciency of the apparatus; but I find that the reverse blade, G, being necessarily arranged as described, so as to pass within the circle described by the inner edge of the first blade B, which it crosses, tends to return toward the back end the uppermost particles of the mass of tea lying in the drum, thus preventing the aggregation of the larger particles toward the front of the drum and their premature discharge when the chute is uncovered.

I claim- 1. In a machine for mixing or blending tea the combination, with a revolving drum havin g helical mixing-blades and radial cups or chutes as described, of a stationary inclined chute mounted within the trunnion and projecting into the drum so as to receive the contents from the radial chutes or cups and deliver the same as described.

2. In a mixing-drum provided with peripheral mixing-blades of helical form tending to feed the contents toward the front end, the combination therewith of one or more helical blades of reverse twist passing through the drum within the circle described by the mixing-blades substantially as and for the pur-.

pose specified.

3. In a machine for mixingor blending tea, the combination With a revolving drum having internal mixing-blades and lifting-cups, of a stationaryinclin ed chute mounted within one end trunnion of the cylinder, and of a stationary disk in which the chute is fixed, the said disk being carried by an external support and being adapted to fill the aperture of the trunnion and make a joint therewith.

4. In a machine for mixing or blending tea, the combination with a revolving drum having trunnions, one of whichis hollow, the drum also having helical mixing-blades and radial cups or chutes as described, of a stationary inclined chute mounted within the hollow trunnion and projecting into the drum and of a cover or hood adapted to close the top of the chute and to slide through the chute-carrying disk so as, when pushed inward therethrough, to close the part of the chute within the cylinder.

CHARLES HENRY BARTLETT.

In presence of V. B. MALEsFALL, DAVID THOMAS MAY. 

